Five teams with a total of 18 students have entered international moot court competitions this year, with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance and partner Clifford Chance celebrating the cohort at a special event hosted on 15 January.
Moot court competitions allow university students to gain practical experience in the legal profession. Teams have to prepare written briefs on a fictitious case, which is later pleaded in front of a panel of judges. The University of Luxembourg will compete against universities across Europe and the world in the five competitions it has entered:
- Concours européen des droits de l’homme René Cassin
- European Law Moot Court Competition
- International and European Tax Moot Court Competition
- Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition
- Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
As well as immersing students in the experience of practising the law, the competitions also foster team work, organisational, presentation and other soft skills important for their future careers. The students are coached by the Faculty’s junior researchers with each team supervised by a professor specialised in the relevant discipline.
Clifford Chance has supported the University’s moot court teams for several years running, contributing funding for travel and accommodation of students. In addition, the firm’s lawyers take part in practice pleadings giving precious feedback for the teams’ preparations.
The renewal of the partnership between Clifford Chance and the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance was celebrated at a special screening of French movie “Le Brio”, which is inspired by the moot court experience and features an arrogant older professor assigned to coach a young, brash student from the “banlieue”.
“The Faculty is proud of you”
Faculty Dean Prof. Katalin Ligeti motivated the students to “work hard as a team and to give it your all” at the launch event. “The moot court experience can be tough, as you are probably in the process of finding out. You have not chosen the easiest path by choosing to take part in a moot court. The Faculty is proud of you for daring to take up the challenge.”
Steve Jacoby, Partner at Clifford Chance added: “Whatever the result will be, the outcome for you personally will be very important. You will realise that you can achieve things you never thought possible,” highlighting the skills students will acquire and deepen, setting them on the right path for their future careers. “We are very happy and proud to have been accompanying this activity at the University for four years now,” Mr Jacoby said of the firm’s support for the moot court initiative.
A reception following the screening was an opportunity for current and past moot court students and coaches to network with members of the Faculty and representatives from Clifford Chance.
We would like to wish all the best of success to this year’s moot court competitors.
About Clifford Chance:Clifford Chance is one of the world’s pre-eminent law firms with 33 offices in 23 countries and some 3,300 lawyers. It is one of the leading law firms in Luxembourg with a strong team of eight partners and 80 lawyers. Clifford Chance’s Luxembourg practice includes dedicated teams with experience in areas of corporate, M&A, banking and finance, capital markets, investment funds, litigation, employment and tax. The firm advises both international and Luxembourg-based clients, including financial institutions, business enterprises and state and regulatory bodies, on an extremely wide range of matters.